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Indonesia’s largest zoo has come under investigation for animal abuse after a 30 year old giraffe died, with 40 pounds of plastic trash found in its stomach. However, Kliwon, the giraffe, was not the first to die in Surabaya Zoo as more than 15 out of 4,000 animals at this particular zoo die per month.

The animals live in littered, tiny cages, many of them emaciated and injured, including a white tiger with back problems and covered in skin lesions. The entire zoo is overcrowded with 180 pelicans practically piled on top of each other in their one volleyball court-sized cage, and breeding is out of control as the males and females are not separated due to lack of space, and contraceptives are too expensive. The animals are just exhibits in this zoo as the entrance fee is less than $2, clearly not enough to feed and care for all the animals, and the visitors throw food and garbage into the cages.

The staff at Surabaya Zoo have also been accused of stealing the meat meant for the lion’s food to sell at the local market, and some animals, which had disappeared, are suspected of being sold in the exotic pet trade. Tony Sumampouw, a government appointed experienced zookeeper, has desperately been trying to repair the zoo and has considered “…about privatizing or transferring some of the animals”.

I am stunned. It took me a while to consider if I even wanted to write this post because of how pissed I was – and am – just thinking about what is going on at this zoo.

First off, I don’t understand what took so long for this zoo to be accused of animal abuse. In the original article (the link is above), it states that before Tony Sumampouw was appointed by the government to run the zoo, there were 20 deaths a month, with him bringing the death rate down to fifteen. If there are 20 deaths a month at one zoo, let alone the country’s largest, and probably most popular, zoo, then why weren’t they investigated before?! It doesn’t make any sense.

After reading the article, it’s obvious that the 4,000 and some animals are treated with absolute zero respect, especially if the staff of the zoo are stealing the animal’s food and selling the animals to the exotic pet trade!

The article does not state how we can all speak out against the Surabaya Zoo, but I have done my research and have found the zoo’s email address and phone number.

I have sent them an email stating that I will never ever be a visitor of their zoo until they find a solution, such as privatizing it like Tony Sumampouw said, or completely renovating it. I beg you all to do the same, because if we have enough concerned animal lovers speaking out against them, then possibly, along with the bad publicity they are currently getting, things will change and animals could be saved.

So please, pass this along, comment, rant, rave, and give us your opinion of what is going on.